Post by Jeff on Apr 12, 2007 16:28:04 GMT -4
For you newbies, here's a brief, rules-light breakdown of various combat actions you can attempt:
Every combat round consists of two basic pieces: a standard action and a move action.
Typical standard actions:
Typical move actions:
Full-round actions (taking up both a standard and a move action)
Free actions (actions that take no real time at all and thus allow you to do other actions):
Attack actions (attacks and things like them):
Every combat round consists of two basic pieces: a standard action and a move action.
Typical standard actions:
- Make one attack action.
- Aid another person by helping to distract the enemy adjacent to them (in lieu of attacking said enemy yourself).
- Cast a spell (most spells).
- Activate a magic item already in your hand.
- Defend yourself, making no attacks, which grants you a +4 AC bonus for one round.
- Bull rush an enemy (attempting to push them back).
- Feint (make a fake attack in order to mislead an enemy so you can hit them easier the following round).
- Give up the standard action to a second move action.
Typical move actions:
- Move your character's distance (usually 30 ft.).
- Draw or sheathe a weapon.
- Manipulate an item (such as open a door).
- Stand up from a prone position.
- Mount/dismount a steed
Full-round actions (taking up both a standard and a move action)
- Attack more than once (you have to be higher level to do this).
- Attack more than one weapon in hand (not easy to do, so you might want to have some feats for this).
- Withdraw (just run away at twice your speed—usually 60 ft.).
- Run in a straight line four times your speed (usually 120 ft.).
Free actions (actions that take no real time at all and thus allow you to do other actions):
- Drop something in your hand.
- Drop to a prone position.
- Speak (say a few things, but don't give a dissertation).
Attack actions (attacks and things like them):
- Make a straightforward melee attack with a weapon in your hand.
- Make a straightforward melee attack with a weapon in your hand and attempt to deal nonlethal damage (-4 on the roll).
- Make a ranged attack with something you can shoot from or throw.
- Disarm an enemy, attempting to knock their weapon away.
- Initiate a grapple (try to wrestle or hold an enemy in place).
- Sunder (break) an enemy's weapon with your own (easier said than done, though!).
- Trip your enemy, in order to knock them prone.